By Daniel Lee, Office of Historic Alexandria
Alexandria, VA – Did you know that many of the historical buildings you see in Alexandria today are thanks to the philanthropic nature of community members? The buildings, artifacts, and stories that have been saved can all be linked back to dedicated community members.
In the 1930s, after the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary closed its doors, Alexandria citizens partnered with private buyers to purchase the collection and archives. At the same time, the newly formed Landmarks Society purchased the buildings. Their actions preserved the collection that teaches medical history inside Alexandria and beyond. To this day, the Landmark Society, now called the Mortar and Pestle Society, has given over $200,000 to continue the preservation efforts of the Apothecary Museum.
Sometimes preservation is driven by an individual like Annie B. Rose, an advocate for African American history, housing, voting, senior rights, and education in Alexandria. Rose helped found the Alexandria Society for the Preservation of Black Heritage, opened the Black History Resource Center, today the Alexandria Black History Museum, and worked to secure landmark status for the Freedom House Museum at 1315 Duke Street. Her grassroots organizing, fundraising, and civic leadership rescued stories and places that might otherwise have been overlooked.
Another Alexandrian who used philanthropy to preserve Alexandria’s historic buildings was Rebecca Ramsay Reese. In the early 20th century, women in upper-class families were known for championing causes that they believed benefited the common good. In Alexandria, Mrs. Rebecca Ramsey Reese embodied this spirit as a prominent activist in historic preservation. While the newspapers provide only occasional glimpses into Mrs. Reese’s life, her efforts touched many of the historic buildings that tourists are drawn to today: Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, Ramsey House, Christ Church, and the Old Presbyterian Meeting House.
Mrs. Reese used her influence in her social circles and organizations, especially the Mount Vernon Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Alexandria Garden Club, to raise awareness and money for preservation projects around Alexandria. Her efforts allowed the American Legion Post #24, which had purchased Gadsby’s Tavern just before the Great Depression, to complete the restoration of the 1792 tavern.
Not only did Mrs. Reese help raise money, but she also personally oversaw the restoration effort. Mrs. Reese corresponded with Milton Grigg, an architect best known for his restoration work at Colonial Williamsburg and Monticello. She was determined to restore the building accurately, walking to the tavern from her nearby home multiple times a day to personally oversee the workmen.
As quoted in the newspaper, she believed “Alexandria must maintain its historic landmarks if it is to retain its character… [and not] become a mere suburb of Washington.” In the final years of her life, she advocated for permanent protection of the City’s historic character. Her advocacy resulted in the creation of the Old and Historic Alexandria District in 1946, which codified the protection of historic buildings by a Board of Architectural Review. Mrs. Reese, recognized as a prominent local preservationist, served on the board from 1946 until her death in 1955.
Friend groups, private donors, and other nonprofit organizations have funded everything from research to restorations, wayfinding signs, and collections care across many Historic Alexandria sites. The Alexandria Oral History Center also receives the gifts of stories that preserve the personal histories of Alexandria’s residents.
It is through this support, activism, and funding that Alexandria’s historic buildings and histories remain accessible. Alexandria’s preservation has always been a civic act: the community making gifts that together protect the places and people who made the city what it is.
